Trapped by Offense: How to Have an Offense-Free Church

We can have a great offense, but if our defense is deficient, we won't win many games. Similarly, if we're going to win in life, we need a good defense against.
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I felt they deserved respect. But this pastor sincerely believed that that all of the other congregations would ultimately merge as a part of his church. We were on TV every day, giving voice to the Gospel in the nation where he wanted, but had not achieved, spiritual dominance.

And when our church began to grow quickly, he felt threatened. One day he retaliated and started a war of words. When I first heard what this pastor had said, I thought it was funny.

BOOK STUDY - The Bait of Satan: Living free from the deadly trap of offense

But the more I brooded on it, the more I began to get angry about the situation. How dare he say something so stupid to influence and manipulate people! But his arrogant attitude did bother me. And the more I thought about that, the more annoyed I became. This preacher who continually reproached me in public was a short man.

As a result, those words began to eat me up on the inside. I could see Denise squirming in her chair on the front row. At that moment, a feud marked by raging carnality erupted between me and this other pastor. Back and forth, we began to publicly rip at each other with our words. I was ready to keep spewing my ugly words as long as it took to win this feud. Then the Holy Spirit arrested me long enough to pose a question to me: I was new in town. This pastor has done some seriously wrong things against me, Lord!

It was really nasty and ugly, yet we were the two largest churches in Riga at the time! The entire scenario was extremely ungodly and out of order. Then the Lord explicitly told me that I was to go to this pastor and repent for my wrong attitude toward him. What about him , Lord? Jesus commanded us to produce fruit that remains see John That was the last thing I wanted to do, but I knew the Holy Spirit had told me to do it. Are you going to go to that pastor, get on your knees, and repent for your attitude toward him? Are you going to obey Me? At last I threw in the towel and gave up!

As I sat across the room from the pastor, we talked about the weather, about politics, about our children. I could get up and leave that room with unfinished business and totally fail this assignment, or I could slip down onto my knees and do what Jesus had asked me to do. I know about some of your doctrines that I find to be very wrong. You have offended me, and ever since, I have believed every negative thing any person has told me about you.

Please accept my apology for repeating those things to others. I have been a source of division.

BOOK STUDY - The Bait of Satan: Living free from the deadly trap of offense — Hope Church

I need to ask you to forgive me as well. But instead of apologizing to me or acknowledging that he had done anything wrong, he just stared at me with a look of glee in his eyes. I could see that he was relishing every moment of my contrition. So I lowered myself down to one knee, thinking that if I did it halfway, the Lord might be satisfied.

I knew full well at that moment that if I wanted to please the Lord and experience a freshness of His presence within our church, I had to fully obey Him, no matter how humiliated I felt or how this man responded. God would not let me off the hook. That day freedom came into my soul. I had done what the Lord required of me, and I was free. Even more, I began to take active steps to really pursue peace with him.

Denise and I invited him and his wife to our home for dinners on multiple occasions. I also invited him to speak in our church, and I attended his church conferences. I was pursuing , following , and hunting after peace with this man. After all, we were pastors of the two largest churches in the city.

Reward Yourself

It took awhile, but later this pastor also acted on what the Lord spoke to his heart to do in order to pursue peace with me. Since that time, he and I have become very good friends. Today if I visit Riga, we always meet for breakfast and share from our hearts with each other. We have a mutual and genuine respect for one another. The devil had very different plans for our relationship, but we chose to thwart those demonic plans by doing what God told us to do in order to pursue peace with each other.

God may require you to be the initiator of peace. I had to get over it and step out in obedience to the Lord for the sake of His presence in my own life and ministry. Offenses of the heart that are not dealt with end up leading to betrayal and betrayals not dealt with end up in hatred. John says in Luke The Greek work for offend comes from the word skand which originally referred to the part of the trap to which the bait was attached. The Bible reminds us that people we are close to or spend time with can offend us deeply. He reminds us that we set ourselves up for offense by setting unrealistic expectations.

Get Free from the #1 Stronghold. The Spirit of Offense

John says if we want to walk with God we do not have the right to be offended. Offended Christians have never realized fully or have forgotten what they were forgiven for. John personally went through a deep wounding offense. Soon the power of God grew cold in his life. John felt the Lord insist that he go to the man who offended him.

John asked for forgiveness for being critical and judgmental of him the offender. The church is filled with offended people who have been rendered useless. The progression of offense is:. Offense is Satans choice of weapon during the twenty-first century. Once youre offended, Satan has the advantage over you, unless you become offense-proof. Our churches must become a place where people from all walks of life can feel welcome. No longer can churches allow denominational barriers and doctrinal dogmas to separate people.

Our churches must become offense-free zones if we are to do the work of true ministry. Dealing with Spiritual Defilement. Scriptural Prayers for Every Day Life. Keith and Megan Provance. Living By The Spirit. The Believer's Secret of Christian Love. Precepts for Kingdom Living: Protocols and Perspectives in the Kingdom of God. My God, My Friend.

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